Rate Article:

"We are serious about the transformation of our development process to reach the first position on the global level. During the next nine years and up to the year 2021 we will launch a range of initiatives and projects in all areas to achieve our goal. I ask everyone to prepare for a new phase in the growth of the UAE.”

With these words, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may Allah save him, explained his future vision of the UAE when he launched the UAE green development initiative under the slogan ‘A green economy for sustainable development’ aimed at transforming the UAE into a leading global green development centre for exporting and re-exporting green products and technologies.

What makes this national strategic initiative more important is that by virtue of its six major fields, it aligns with the UAE Vision 2021 for consolidating the competitive position of our country in a changing green global economy. This is impressive considering that many developing countries are still striving to meet the basic needs of their people, while we have moved on to tackling our environmental challenges.

The concept of a green economy in the United Nations declaration is based on restructuring of economic activities to ensure sustainable development of people, communities and the environment. Research conducted by the United Nations indicates that certain key factors necessitate this move to a green economy. These are: the financial crisis which caused a substantial loss of jobs and income; the food crisis with rising global hunger and an increase in food prices, climate change and its negative consequences.

It must be stressed that eGovernments around the world are perfectly aligned as platforms for a green economy. Dubai eGovernment has an array of eServices which minimize paper, consumption of poisonous printing inks and traffic. These include the substantial savings made for 39 Dubai government entities by 26 integrated systems within the unified government resources planning systems – including the financial management system, supply chain management system, HR systems, payroll management system, purchasing etc. By exchanging and sharing assets among departments; and the savings made by the core services as a common infrastructure for all government entities such as ePay, AskDubai, eComplain, eSuggest and mDubai, all of which have immensely minimized the waste of assets in favour of a ‘green economy.’

More can be said about the contribution of the eServices provided by the government entities to the green economy including the savings made as a result of the provision of a service around the clock and from everywhere; saving the customer’s time and minimizing traffic jams and environmental pollution. Such statements can be instantly backed up by the nearly 2.9 million electronic transactions through Dubai Government’s ePay portal for government transactions. As a reminder, this initiative is also in line with the slogan of the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 Conference) on 28 May 2012, ‘Reshaping our future through a green economy and sustainable lifestyle.

Post new comment

Background information

Dubai eGovernment refers to Dubai Government's use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to provide government services to citizens, residents and visitors (G2C), to businesses (G2B), to other government entities (G2G) and to government employees (G2E); using multiple channels, in line with its vision of easing the lives of people and businesses interacting with the Government. The strategic importance of embodying the eGovernment concept stems from its aim to reinforce Dubai's position as a leading knowledge and economic hub.

Dubai eGovernment refers to Dubai Government's use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to provide government services to citizens, residents and visitors (G2C), to businesses (G2B), to other government entities (G2G) and to government employees (G2E); using multiple channels, in line with its vision of easing the lives of people and businesses interacting with the Government. The strategic importance of embodying the eGovernment concept stems from its aim to reinforce Dubai's position as a leading knowledge and economic hub.